Obama tells nation: Push my plan

WASHINGTON -- A divided and discontented Senate on Monday began debating a nearly $900 billion economic stimulus plan, while President Barack Obama launched a new grass-roots campaign asking Americans to prod their lawmakers to act on it.

The Senate's legislation could look dramatically different by week's end, as lawmakers from both parties are eyeing changes in spending on infrastructure, housing aid and other features of the massive package.

The final Senate version must then be reconciled with the $819 billion stimulus plan that the House of Representatives passed last week.

Concerns are growing among members of both parties about the price tag and the plan's potential effect. The economy shrank 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, its worst three-month showing in nearly 27 years, and economists see few prospects for quick improvement without massive government intervention.

Obama, looking to bring some Republican critics on board in time to have the final bill ready for his signature by mid-February, called Democratic congressional leaders to the White House on Monday for a strategy session.

In an e-mail sent by the Democratic National Committee, the president also urged voters to host or attend an "Economic Recovery House Meeting" this coming weekend, where a videotaped message from party chairman and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine would be played to answer questions about the stimulus spending.

"I hope to sign the recovery plan into law in the next few weeks," Obama said in the e-mail. "But I need your help to spread the word and build support."

The grass-roots tactic resembles Obama's presidential campaign efforts to keep supporters across America involved and energized, and is a novel extension of computer-based campaign tactics into governance.

Ironically, Republicans, in urging more tax relief and housing assistance, said Monday that they're truer to Obama's spirit than Democrats in Congress are, while warning that most GOP lawmakers are likely to oppose the Democratic plan unless there are major changes to it.